The alternative - rail freight

Europe does not need longer and heavier trucks. Europe needs more freight on the railways. Why? Because the railways are safer, more environmentally friendly and offer better performance.

Worldwide, other large economic regions rely heavily on rail freight. With a market share of between 40 and 50 percent in Australia, Russia, the USA and China, rail freight is the most important mode of goods transport, well ahead of road freight.

In Europe, the railways are also beginning to boom. After years on decline, rail freight transport is going through a 'renaissance' in almost all European countries. Germany is an impressive example, where rail freight has been continually winning back market share for a number of years.

Trains are by far the safest form of motorised transport. This is also true of rail freight transport. In Germany in 2006, heavy goods vehicles were involved in a fifth of all road traffic accidents that resulted in fatalities. However, HGVs make up only one tenth of all vehicle-kilometres. Therefore, the risk of being killed in a road accident doubles when an HGV is involved.

The difference in the safety levels between road and railway traffic can also be expressed in financial terms. According to the Swiss research institute INFRAS, the so-called external accident costs resulting from HGV traffic amount to around 2.9 billion euros annually in Germany. By comparison, the costs resulting from freight transport by rail are only 0.005 billion euros. Measured on the basis of the same transport performance, heavy goods vehicles cause 72 times more external accident costs than goods trains.
The term external costs describes costs which result from traffic but that are not covered by those causing the costs.

When it comes to the transport of freight, the environmental record of the railways in all important aspects is many times better than road freight.

Energy consumption

The energy efficiency of rail freight is remarkable. Heavy goods vehicles consume over three times more energy than the railways to achieve the same performance.

CO₂ emissions

Road freight transport in Germany produces over four times more CO₂ than freight transport by rail. In other EU countries, rail freight's CO₂ record is even better.

Pollutants

The railways emit substantially less nitrogen-oxides (Nox) and fine particles that heavy goods vehicles. Road freight transport produces up to 19 times more pollutants that are damaging to the health than the railways.

Unlike mega trucks, the railways actually help reduce CO2 emissions.

Mega trucks will cost taxpayers billions

Successful case studies of modal shifts on to the safe and environmentally friendly railways